In this episode of “Service Design Principles,” we delve into the sixth principle of service design: “It’s your job to know what I should buy.” We explore the importance of expertise and customer guidance in service interactions. Daniele shares a personal story about buying flowers for his wife, highlighting the frustration when service providers fail to guide customers who lack specific knowledge or preferences. We discuss the significance of asking the right questions and how this can transform a customer’s experience from feeling incompetent to feeling understood and assisted. The conversation also touches on the idea of first drafts in retail transactions, emphasizing the need for service providers to lead customers through the decision-making process, especially when they are unsure. We explore how service interactions can be learning opportunities, both for the customer and the service provider, enhancing future interactions. The episode concludes with insights on recognizing when a customer views you as an expert, an educator, or simply a vendor, and how to tailor your service approach accordingly. Summary drafted by ChatGPT 00:00 Open 00:04 Intro 00:38 This sounds personal… 02:08 Asking questions is good, right? 02:53 First drafts in retail transactions 03:32 Ask the right questions. 06:15 The customer isn’t the expert, you are. 08:49 Know when you are the expert, and when you are just selling. 10:10 Outro Interested in the book, Service Design Principles 1-100? Check out the special offer just for podcast listeners. Support us with Value 4 Value Find out more about “Value 4 Value” here: https://value4value.info/ Time - rate us on your preferred podcast platform, write a review, or submit your own service design principles or insights into the SDP in the books. Talent - Help promote the podcast on social media, produce some incidental music for the show, or suggest a way your talents can help. Treasure - use a modern podcast app to send us boost-a-grams or streaming value. We’ll recognize all contributions and comments in future episodes. Alternatively, make a traditional donation via Ko-Fi to help us cover our hosting and production costs. Get a modern podcast app: https://modernpodcastapps.com/ Traditional donation: https://ko-fi.com/neoluxpodcasts https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KCP8BRUHP3HZS Daniele Catalanotto is a service design practitioner, the author of the Service Design Principles series of books, and the founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy Guy Martin has worked with global companies and startups in a wide range of roles, including service delivery, corporate education, and leadership development. Music by Mikhail Smusev from Pixabay Thanks to Castopod, a Podcasting 2.0 and ActivityPub enabled host, for their support. A production of